Teenage girls urged to sign up for Mini-Marathon

The Its4Girls event is back for the 2025 Mayo.ie Western People Women's Mini-Marathon.

This year’s 10km mini-marathon, which will be held in Castlebar on Bank Holiday Sunday, May 4, is in its 16th year.

Girls who are in secondary school, aged between 12 and 17, are being encouraged to register for this year’s Its4Girls initiative, with registration costing just €10. They are invited to participate at their own pace, whether that is by running, jogging or walking the 10km event.

All participants in Its4Girls Teen will receive a t-shirt and medal, while also having the opportunity to participate in a training programme hosted by event partner, The Movement Gym.

Its4Girls aims to get more girls more physically active.

Encouraging young teenage girls to participate in sports is not just about physical activity, it's about fostering holistic development, empowering them with essential life skills, and promoting long-term health and well-being.

Through regular training sessions, competitions, and teamwork, the girls will learn the value of perseverance, time management, and setting achievable goals. Sports can teach us that success requires dedication and hard work, qualities that are transferrable to various aspects of life.

It can also help to build confidence and self-esteem. As teenagers develop their athletic abilities and witness their progress over time, they gain a sense of accomplishment and belief in their capabilities.

Sports also provide opportunities for teenage girls to develop essential social skills. Being part of a team teaches them cooperation, communication, and conflict resolution. They learn to work towards a common goal, respect diverse perspectives, and support their teammates through victories and setbacks.

While the mini-marathon is more of an individual task, training with their other girls will help them build strong relationships and meet new people.

Speaking about Its4Girls, Deirdre Donnelly of Mayo Sports Partnership, said: “This year's mini-marathon is going to be the biggest yet in terms of teen girls participation. We already have an unprecedented number of teen girls registered to participate in the 10k event, along with a database of teenage girls willing to volunteer for the event itself.

“Before the date, we are asking girls to participate in our Teens Target 30 programme, where we encourage these girls to be active for 30 minutes every day in the lead-up to the event itself. We are also looking for any schools or community groups to come on board to support our teenage girls by working with us to deliver programmes to support the girls in reaching their goals. Please contact me at dedonnelly@mayococo.ie to bring a programme to your school or group.” 

Speaking at the recent mini-marathon launch in Castlebar, Sinead Flynn, PE teacher at Davitt College, said the school is encouraging its female students to participate.

“We have a lot of sports activities in the school,” Ms Flynn said. “We have a very active running club which is growing every week. We have huge numbers of competitive sports, but this offers something different. It doesn’t have to be competitive.

“I would definitely encourage the girls to take part for fun. For a lot of years, the students have dressed up and there are prizes for that too. This is something that students wouldn’t normally get involved in, so it is a great opportunity to try something new.” 

Meanwhile, the early bird registration for the Mayo.ie Western People Women's Mini Marathon 2025 is in full swing. The take-up in registration has been brilliant to date - and the cost is just €20 until next Monday, March 17.

Early bird entries will be included in a draw to win great prizes, including dinner for two and show tickets for the TF Royal Theatre Castlebar.

Along with Mayo Sports Partnership and the Western People, other partners in this year’s event include Castlebar Municipal District, Healthy Mayo, Moy Valley Resources IRD, The Movement Gym and Castlebar Chamber of Commerce.

Register now at: https://www.westofirelandwomensminimarathon.com/